Disappearing folding caster.



N. C. TOLL.

DISAPPEARING FOLDING (EASTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1911.

1,022,646. Patnted Apr. 9, 1912.

wi/bmwwo wmmtoz nzcywa v amm' NILES C. TOLL, OF LATHE/OP, CALIFORNIA.

DISAPPEARING FOLDING CASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 20, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 628,531.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatI, NILEs C. Tom, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lathrop, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disappearing Folding Casters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture and particularly to the casters used in tables, chairs and the like, the object of the invention being to produce a caster which can be made to disappear into the leg of the furniture when the furniture is stationary, but which can readily be projected out from the leg when it is desired to move the furniture at any point.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a table partly broken out, showing my improved mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a leg of a table showing my improved caster mechanism therein. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a tubular member adapted to be inserted in the leg of the table to carry my improved caster mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view of the under side of a portion of a table showing a caster operating drum and other structure.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, 1 designates a table or other piece of furniture and 2 the legs thereof. In using my improved device each leg is provided with an interior recess 3 into which is fitted a tubular member 4, there being a slot 5 projecting upwardly through the leg from the re cess 3 and having a pulley 6 in its upper end.

The numeral 7 designates a solid cylindrical member movable vertically in the member 4 and rotatably mounted on a rod 8 having an upwardly projecting arm 9, said arm 9 having a vertical slot 10 through which projects a pin 11 secured in the sides of the member 4 and carrying rollers or pulleys 12. A cable 13 is secured to the upper end of the arm 9 and projects clownwardly over the rollers 12 and then projects upwardly through the slot 5 over the roller or pulley 6 and thence around a drum 14 journaled in the under side of the table, which is the common drum around which each cable from the various legs of the fur niture extends, whereby they may all be operated at once as may hereinafter appear.

On the under side of each member 7 is hinged a caster 15 adapted to fit within the member 4.

"When it is desired to use the casters, the same are projected without the member 4 by means of the following structure, namely: An operating handle member 16 fits into the drum 14 in such a manner that when it is desired to project the casters outside of the legs for the purpose of moving the furniture, then this handle member 16 may be pulled out to operating posit-ion as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4 and the drum 14 rotated, whereby the cables 13 will be wound up, which pulls the arms 9 and incidentally the members 7 and casters 15 downwardly, which will project the casters outside of the members 4 and incidentally of the legs 2. The casters 15 are provided with lugs 17 which project against the member 7 and prevent the casters from bending the wrong way, and hence this drives the caster into folded position against the member 7, there being a hole 18 in each caster adapted to receive a pin 19 on the member 7, whereby the caster is held in fixed proper position.

On one end of the drum 14 is a ratchet wheel 20, engaged by a spring pressed dog 21, whereby the cables can not unwind until it is desired to unwind them and retract the casters 15 back into the members 4, then a handle 22 is employed to disengage the ratchet dog 21 from the wheel 20, and then the weight of the table forces the casters back into the members 4 and leaves the table legs stationary upon the floor surface, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When the casters turn with the movement of the furniture the members 7 are the ones which permit the turning movement by reason of their being rotatably mounted on the members 8, and hence the members 8 and arms 9 remain in fixed vertical position by reason of the pin 11 disposed through the slots 10, and hence the cables are kept from becoming twisted or entangled.

From the foregoing description it will readily appear that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to seccure by Letters Patent is l. A member having a recess on its under side, a member movable vertically in said recess, a caster comprising a yoke carrying a Wheel, such yoke being hinged to said movable member, such yoke being provided with a hole disposed independently of its hinged relation to said movable member, and a pin on said member adapted to fit into said hole.

2. A device of the character described comprising a member having a recess in its under side, a member movable vertically in said recess, an upwardly projecting arm on said movable member, a pin secured in said movable member, rollers on said pin, a cable secured to the upper end of said arm and projecting over said rollers, means for winding said cable and a caster comprising a yoke carrying a wheel, such yoke being secured to said movable member, as described.

3. A member having a recess in its un der side, a member movable vertically in said recess, a caster comprising a yoke carrying a wheel, such yoke being hinged to said member and a projecting stop member on the upper end of said yoke adapted to engage said movable member to limit the hinged movement of said yoke as described.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NILES 0. TOLL.

Witnesses:

PERCY S. lVEBsTER, J. B. l/VEBsrER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

